The Abbreviated Evening Edition

Due to playing in the mud (don’t ask, trust me it’s messy), the Evening Edition will brought to you by c’est moi.

Oil dives to 4-month low as emergency stocks unleashed

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Oil tumbled 6 percent on Thursday to a four-month low after the world’s top consumers released emergency oil reserves for the third time ever, a surprise intervention to aid the struggling global economy.

The International Energy Agency announced it would inject 60 million barrels of government-held stocks in the global market, immediately increasing world supply by some 2.5 percent for the next month and sending prices spiraling, with U.S. crude prices erasing all of the year’s gains.

Republicans bail on budget talks, blame Democrats

WASHINGTON – Republicans pulled out of debt-reduction talks led by Vice President Joe Biden with a flourish on Thursday, blaming Democrats for demanding tax increases as part of a deal rather than accepting more than $1 trillion in cuts to Medicare and other government programs.

“Let me be clear: Tax hikes are off the table,” said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Mullen sees risk in Obama’s Afghanistan withdrawal

WASHINGTON – The nation’s top military officer and its top diplomat made clear Thursday that President Barack Obama rejected the advice of his generals in choosing a quicker path to winding down the war in Afghanistan.

The Obama troop withdrawal plan, widely interpreted as marking the beginning of the end of the U.S. combat role in Afghanistan, drew criticism from both sides of the political aisle on Capitol Hill. Some Republicans decried it as undercutting the military mission at a critical stage of the war, while many Democrats called it too timid.

Obama at gay fundraiser as NY weighs marriage OK

NEW YORK – President Barack Obama’s “evolving” stance on gay marriage was headed for a high-profile test Thursday as he prepared for his first-ever fundraiser for gay donors just as New York lawmakers maneuvered toward a historic vote legalizing same-sex marriage.

Reps. Frank, Paul want to end federal ban on pot

WASHINGTON – Two House members introduced a bill Thursday that would remove marijuana from the list of federal controlled substances and cede to the states enforcement of laws governing pot.

Senators demand congressional probe on nuke safety

Three U.S. senators, alarmed by findings of an Associated Press investigation about aging problems at the nation’s nuclear power plants, asked Thursday for a congressional investigation of safety standards and federal oversight at the facilities.

Greece in deal with EU/IMF on austerity plan

ATHENS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Greece won the consent of international lenders on Thursday for a five-year austerity plan intended to avoid looming bankruptcy and its prime minister pledged to push radical economic reforms through parliament.

Afghan drawdown creates risk, U.S. military warns

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military warned on Thursday that President Barack Obama’s unexpectedly faster drawdown in Afghanistan created new risks, even as commanders said they backed the strategy to start winding down the unpopular, nearly decade-old war.

Higher jobless claims indicate weak labor market

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose last week, suggesting little improvement in the labor market this month after hiring stumbled badly in May.

Fed balance sheet hits another record size

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Federal Reserve’s balance sheet expanded to a record size in the latest week, as the central bank bought more bonds in an effort to support the economy, Fed data released on Thursday showed.

NATO chief says alliance will finish job in Libya

TRIPOLI (Reuters) – NATO’s chief on Thursday dismissed a call from Italy for a suspension of hostilities in Libya and tried to reassure wavering members of the Western coalition that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi can be beaten.

Yemeni president not returning home soon

SANAA (Reuters) – Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is not likely to return home soon from Saudi Arabia, where he is recovering from serious injuries suffered in an attack on his palace this month, a Western diplomat said on Thursday.

Karzai surrounding himself with anti-US advisers

KABUL, Afghanistan – President Hamid Karzai is increasingly isolated and has surrounded himself with an inner circle of advisers who are urging him to move closer to Iran and Pakistan as the U.S. draws down its role in Afghanistan, several friends and aides tell The Associated Press.

Mexico president defends attack on organized crime

MEXICO CITY – President Felipe Calderon made an impassioned defense of his military assault on organized crime in an unusual public faceoff Thursday with his biggest critics: sometimes weeping relatives of murder victims who blame the government for the bloodshed.

EU leaders reduce Greek co-financing to 15 percent

BRUSSELS – The European Union said Thursday it is prepared to help debt-saddled Greece by reducing Greek co-financing for EU development aid to 15 percent.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso made the announcement at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Syrian troops push to Turkey border, villagers run

GUVECCI, Turkey – Syrian troops pushed to the Turkish border Thursday in their sweep against a 3-month-old pro-democracy movement, sending panicked refugees, including children, rushing across the frontier to safe havens in Turkey.

Senegal cancels new law amid violent protest

DAKAR, Senegal – Senegal’s president agreed Thursday to cancel a proposed change to the constitution which would have paved the way for his son to take power, amid massive street protests that marked the biggest challenge to his 11-year rule and threatened to derail a country known as one of the most stable in the region.

Cries of support at pro-Gadhafi rally in Tripoli

TRIPOLI, Libya – Supporters of Moammar Gadhafi rallied Thursday in Tripoli after the Libyan leader lashed out at NATO over civilian casualties, calling the alliance “murderers” following an airstrike on the family home of a close associate.

Lagarde makes case to lead IMF

WASHINGTON – French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde made her case Thursday to lead the International Monetary Fund.

Lagarde said she outlined her vision for the global lending institution’s future in a three-hour meeting with the IMF executive board and in separate one-on-one meetings with its members.